Announcements

The AATS Graham Foundation

The AATS Graham Foundation ExperiencesProgrammatic Expansion During Its 40thAnniversary

The Journal of Thoracic and Car

Starting with the first Graham Traveling Fellow in 1951, the

American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) has

promoted education and research that led to the founding

of the AATS Graham Foundation in 1973 to serve as the fund-

ing arm of the Association’s research and education initia-

tives.

Over the past year, new fellowship programs for medical

students, fellows, residents, and international professionals

have been developed that provide specialized educational

and training opportunities. These new initiatives coupled

with the existing programs help the AATS Graham Foun-

dation continue to fulfill its mission of ‘‘Driving Leader-ship Learning, and Innovation in the Pursuit ofExcellence.’’

As our parent Association, the AATS underwrites all

operational costs of the Foundation, allowing 100% of

all individuals’ contributions to go directly to Foundation

programming. For more information on the AATS

Graham Foundation, please visit http://aatsgrahamfounda

tion.org.

The American Board ofThoracic SurgeryNotices

The part I (written) examination was held on December 3. It

is planned that this examination will be given at multiple

sites throughout the United States using an electronic

format. The closing date for registration is August 1 each

year. Those wishing to be considered for examination

must apply online at www.abts.org.

To be admissible for the Part II (oral) examination,

a candidate must have successfully completed the Part I

(written) examination.

A candidate applying for admission to the certifying

examination must fulfill all the requirements of the Board

in force at the time the application is received. Please address

all communications to the American Board of Thoracic

Surgery, 633 North St Clair Street, Suite 2320, Chicago,

IL 60611 (telephone: 312-202-5900).

Requirements for Maintenance of CertificationDiplomates of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery

(ABTS) who plan to participate in the Maintenance of

Certification (MOC) process must hold an unrestricted med-

ical license in the locale of their practice and privileges in

a hospital accredited by the JCAHO (or other organization

recognized by the ABTS). In addition, a valid ABTS certif-

icate is an absolute requirement for entrance into the Main-

tenance of Certification process. If your certificate has

expired, the only pathway for renewal of a certificate is to

take and pass the Part I (written) and the Part II (oral) certi-

fying examinations. The names of individuals who have not

maintained their certificate will no longer be published in the

American Board of Medical Specialties Directories. Diplo-

mates’ names will be published upon successful completion

of the Maintenance of Certification process.

The CME requirements are 30 Category I credits earned

during each year prior to application. At least half of these

CME hours need to be in the broad area of thoracic surgery.

Category II credits are not allowed. Interested individuals

should refer to the Booklet of Information for Maintenance

of Certification for a complete description of acceptable

CME credits. Diplomates will be expected to submit verifi-

cation of CME earned.Diplomates in the Maintenance of Certification process

will need to provide a summary of their major cases per-

formed during the year prior to application. The practice

review should not exceed 100 cases.

Diplomates in the Maintenance of Certification process

will be required to complete all sections of the SESATS

self-assessment examination. It is not necessary for Diplo-

mates to purchase SESATS individually, because it will be

sent to them after their application has been approved.

Diplomates may apply for Maintenance of Certification in

the year their certificate expires, or if they wish to do so, they

may apply up to two years before it expires. However, the

new certificate will be dated 10 years from the date of expira-

tion of their original certificate or most recent recertification

certificate. In other words, going through the Maintenance of

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